


The Damaged Quartz and The Broken Spinel

by Loover



Series: Orange Tourmaline [1]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-16
Updated: 2019-11-16
Packaged: 2021-02-07 09:02:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21455476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loover/pseuds/Loover
Summary: Spinel and Jasper battle.Emotional bonding ensues.
Relationships: Jasper/Spinel (Steven Universe)
Series: Orange Tourmaline [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1563094
Comments: 9
Kudos: 82





	The Damaged Quartz and The Broken Spinel

**Author's Note:**

> Just my little idea of how Jasper and Spinel could potentially meet and become besties (and eventually girlfriends UwU)

Steven blocked yet another attack with his shield.

He wasn’t sure how much more he could take, he has been fighting Jasper for a long while now. 

His gem half, it gave him increased strength but that didn’t mean much. His human half was slowing him down, he was running out of stamina. He was getting tired, his reaction time was being affected. 

What made things worse is that he didn’t have any back up. The rest of the Crystal Gems were down on the main battlefield, fighting off Jasper’s army of Homeworld Gems that weren’t happy with the era of peace he had started. 

He was isolated from the main battle, stuck fighting the quartz soldier all on his own on top of the lighthouse hill. 

He was knocked off his feet, falling backwards. Jasper was coming in for another hit. Steven thought he was done for.

He braced himself for the impact, but it never came. Instead, he opened his eyes to see a large pink, gloved hand had blocked the attack. 

The hand then proceeded to grab Jasper, followed by another hand, before she was swung around and thrown into the sky, high above the clouds. 

“Steven, you gotta get outta here! I’ll handle this quartz.” Spinel said as she retracted her arms and helped Steven up.

Steven got on his feet. He immediately took a fighting stance, summoning his shield. He was thankful some sort of cavalry arrived.

“Spinel, are you serious!? No way, I have to help you fight Jasper!”

“What are you even saying!! You are the leader of the Crystal Gems! What’s a leader look like fighting a single gem when he should be out there on the battlefield helping the rest of his army!?”

“But, Spinel-” 

“Steven I threw her pretty high, but she’ll drop back down any minute! You hafta get outta here before she does! The Crystal Gems need you, your friends need you!” 

Steven wanted to protest further, but just as Spinel had warned, Jasper came back down, crashing onto the ground. She groaned in pain as she struggled to get up. 

“Go!” Spinel said, pushing him away. 

Steven didn’t want to leave Spinel with such a dangerous and strong gem like Jasper, but he tried to remember that Spinel was quite strong in her own way. 

He rushed off to go find Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl. 

Jasper finally got to her feet, she tried to run and catch Steven as she noticed him running away, but was caught by that same pink hand from before. 

She was lifted and slammed into the ground.

Jasper coughed as the hand released her. “What are you supposed to be...some kind of silly entertainment gem?”

** _“Ya got a problem with entertainment types?” _ ** Spinel asked, voice low and threatening.

Jasper was put off by such a silly looking gem being able to muster up a voice like that. 

She was so put off and momentarily distracted, that she almost didn’t register the fist stretching it's way over to her. Almost. She managed to dodge the attack but was surprised by a second fist that came. 

Luckily her reflexes kicked in and she was able to grab both of Spinel’s wrists, stopping her from dishing out any further blows. 

“I knew that stupid organic hybrid wasn’t a genius or anything, but who would have thought he’d be dumb enough to think he could leave me with some sort of weak, playmate gem? Like you could defeat me!”

Spinel chuckled menacingly at the jab, before looking up and giving the quartz a death glare with her spiraled eyes.

“Yeah, I’m a playmate..” She said, as she began to stretch her wrists and coil her arms around Jasper’s biceps.

“But these goofy limbs ain’t just for gags!”

She snapped her long arms like they were whips and slammed Jasper into the ground again. 

Jasper let go of her wrists, allowing Spinel to retract her limbs.

Jasper got up on her feet, she smiled. A sickly looking smile. She brushed the dirt off of her.

“Fine...then  _ let’s play _ .” Jasper said before launching herself at the gem.

Spinel met the attack head on, interlocking her hands with Jasper’s as they collided. 

Jasper chuckled as she noticed the lanky gem was able to hold her own against the force of her attack.

“You’re pretty strong, Playmate, guess that hybrid isn’t as dumb as I thought!” 

“Let’s just say, I know how ta ** play rough!** ” Spinel growled, eyes becoming spiraled with aggression as she pushed Jasper back. She retracted her arms only to launch them again, enlarged fists slamming the ground as Jasper just barely dodged each attack.

Jasper stomped her foot down on Spinel’s hand as it hit the ground. She grabbed the stretched out arm and swung Spinel around before letting her foot off her hand and letting her go, sending the pink gem flying into the lighthouse. 

Spinel reacted immediately, flipping herself so she would land feet first on to the fixture. 

Her legs coiled into a spring and she launched herself towards Jasper, ready to punch her. 

Jasper ducked, missing Spinel’s attack but rose back up quick enough to grab the pink gem’s ankles. 

She began to swing her again, planning to throw her once more, Spinel had a gut feeling and stretched her arms and torso to wrap around the lighthouse. 

Jasper tried to pull her off the building by her feet, but Spinel caught on and decided to yank back her own legs. 

Jasper was too late to let go and was smashed into the lighthouse, letting go of Spinel’s ankles. 

Jasper fell to the ground, she rubbed her gem in pain. After feeling that it wasn’t cracked, she turned around only to see that Spinel was no longer wrapped around the lighthouse. 

She looked around frantically, where could she have gone!? Jasper looked in every direction but down.

Little did she know, Spinel had flattened herself to the ground, slinking her way behind Jasper.

Spinel snaked her way up Jasper’s body, surprising the quartz soldier.

_ “Ya know, hide n’ seek has always been a favorite of mine~” _

Before Jasper could even think to react, Spinel squeezed her stretched out torso around her, trapping the orange gem and continued to squeeze as hard as possible, planning to poof the orange gem’s physical form with enough pressure. 

Jasper struggled to move, but it was useless. 

“No! NO! I won’t let you win! I won’t let myself be shattered!!” 

“I ain’t gonna shatter you!” Spinel said in an almost offended tone.

“Maybe you won’t! But once you bring my gem back to those Crystal Gems, they’ll shatter me for sure! And I REFUSE to be shattered by ** them!!** ”

“They ain’t gonna shatter you ‘neither!!”

“Of course they will! I’ve tried to kill them and ruin their precious planet! How can you be so sure?”

“BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T SHATTER ME!!” Spinel yelled.

Jasper was silent for a second before she spoke again. “Why would they ever want to shatter their ally?”

“I wasn’t always their ally…” Spinel said, her voice had gone somber, but she still held Jasper tightly. 

“You think you’re the only one? The only one who has tried to hurt Steven or his planet? Well you aren’t! Steven has told me everyone who has tried and I’ve met them and their all such swell friends with him now...even me…”

“You?”

“Yes. Me. I tried to kill him. Tried to rejuvenate his family and destroy his planet. I almost got away with it too. Until he helped me. Showed me some of that stupid endless compasion he has.”

“Well! I don’t care!” Jasper exclaimed. “I don’t care that he could forgive me! I don’t want his forgiveness or his mercy or whatever! I want vengeance! I want vengence for what Pink’s rediculous and stupid actions have put me through! I want payback! I want-”

“I WANTED THAT TOO!” Spinel screamed. “I wanted that too. So badly…Pink did me wrong…”

“You..You got problems with Pink Diamond too?”

“Do I got problems with her? Doll, why do you think I attacked them in the first place?”

“....Tell me.” Jasper said. She had stopped trying to struggle now, probably recognizing that Spinel’s snake-like grip was not letting up anytime soon.

“Fine, I guess we can chat for a bit. But only if ya tell me your story afta I say mine. Capiche?”

“Fine. Now start talking!”

“Alright! Well, your obviously aware of Pink’s little war, right?”

“Burst to life right in the middle of it. So?”

“Ahh. So that means you’re younger than me, ain’t ya, quartz.” Spinel said teasingly. “Ain’t that cute~”

“Well, when were you made then?” Jasper asked as she rolled her eyes. 

“Oh, I was made waaay before that stupid war. I was made even before Pink had a colony. When I was made, little ol’ Pinky was still begging Yellow and Blue for a planet of her own.” 

“She had to beg?” Jasper said, thinking about the pathetic image of a Diamond begging anyone for anything, especially fellow Diamond. Imagine being so pathetic that you have to beg people who are supposed to be your equals for your right to perform your own duties.

“Yeah, apparently, even DiAmOnDs hAvE PrOBleMs.” Spinel said in a mocking and sarcastic tone. 

Jasper would have chuckled at that, had it not been for the current situation she was in. 

“I’m very special you know. I’m one of a kind. I was a made to order best friend for a lonely little Diamond. And boy was I a perfect little buddy to her. Everytime she cried about Yellow and Blue not treating her like a real Diamond, she came runnin’ to ol’ Spinel for comfort and distraction from her sad little life.”

“So you were made to be a loyal companion...” Jasper asked, comparing Spinel’s creation to her own. She was made to be a loyal soldier. Sure, all gems were made to be loyal to their diamonds, exactly how loyal you were was dictated by what you were made for. She was extremely loyal to her Diamond due to her role as a soldier, she couldn’t imagine how loyal a personal companion could be.

“Oh, I was loyal alright. Too loyal...One day, Pink’s wish came true. Yellow and Blue finally gave her a planet of her own. I was so happy for her. I thought for sure she was gonna bring me with her. Why wouldn’t she, right?”

“What...happened?”

“I was created for entertainment. To be a loyal buddy. So when Pink asked me to play a game, I was happy to oblige. The rules were simple. Wait, stand very still in the garden for her until she came back. It sounded like simple, innocent fun back then…”

Jasper couldn’t even speak. She simply looked at Spinel in horrified shock. Her facial expression silently asking the pink gem if she was serious.

“Yep, that’s right. I stood there. Completely motionless. For six thousand years. Loyally playing a game. There were times when I wondered if I was playing it correctly. I didn’t move until one day, the old communicator came on and I saw him. Pink Diamond’s son. Pink was gone and I had foolishly been playing a game that she never intended to finish…" Spinel's viper-like grip tightened slightly as she recalled everything. 

"I was so...  ** _hurt _ ** by what she did to me, I poofed. Came back looking like this mess. I became unhinged. I was so angry I didn't know what to do, what was I supposed to do with all that boiling rage!? And then I remembered, I was her best friend...I know where all her stuff is.." 

"Her stuff?" 

"Her armory. I knew where her old bio poison injectors were, her old rejuvenators, the works. So I took what was hers and I thought, how funny it would be to destroy her beloved planet and her family that she worked so hard to protect, using her own weapons!" Spinel laughed. 

"The thought made me laugh harder than I had in centuries!! So I went to Earth and I attacked Pink's son and those Crystal Gems. Everything was going smoothly. I was able to catch them off guard and took them out in one hit with the rejuvenator and while I couldn't poof that hybrid, I did manage to set his powers back, it was so funny, he didn't know what hit him!" 

Jasper went completely still, shocked at what she just heard.  **"What do you mean you took them out in one hit!?" ** She asked in disbelief. 

"Oh? What are you sayin'? Did a silly little Spinel like me manage ta do somethin' a strong quartz dame like yourself couldn't do?" Spinel teased. 

Jasper blushed and looked in every direction except Spinel's. "Whatever, just keep going.." 

Spinel chuckled before continuing. "He actually managed to get the rejuvenator outta my hands and poof me with it. I couldn't bring myself ta care. What did it matter? They can't deactivate my injector without me, I already set back the gems and his powers, and all while I get to forget my pain and suffering." 

Spinel continued to tell her tale. How Steven eventually brought her memories back and got her to open up about her past. How he offered to be her new friend, how he used her to turn off her injector and disregarded her as soon as she did what he wanted. How she turned on him again and almost killed him for good, how she broke down a second time...how Steven still forgave her and how she went off to live with the Diamonds. 

"So yeah," she said "if those Crystal Weirdos didn't shatter me for what I did, then they ain't gonna shatter you. Cuz if there's one thing I can say about them, one thing I can say about Steven, it's that unlike Pink, the Crystal Gems  **play fair** ." 

Jasper was silent for a moment as she allowed the weight of Spinel's story to set in. 

"Alrighty then soldier. I told you mine, now let's hear your sob story…" 

Jasper took a deep breath. She told Spinel her story. How Pink Diamond's shattering drove her mad. How she felt so pathetic for failing to protect her, came from a failed colony and from a stupid planet.

The only thing that kept her grounded was her status on Homeworld. Despite everything bad about her, Homeworld still valued her. Calling her the "Kindergarten Quartz That Could" When she thought she had finally found Rose Quartz, she was excited. If she could Avenge her Diamond, she'd restore her self worth for sure. 

She told of how she worked hard everyday she was trapped on this awful planet. Working hard to assemble an army of corrupt gems. It was all she could do, really. 

She told how she even fused with a corrupted gem to beat yet another Crystal Gem fusion. Only for the corruption to spread, and she lost her mind. 

When she was eventually healed by all the Diamonds, she couldn't believe the news of Rose Quartz actually being Pink Diamond, and Steven not actually being either of them, but just some organic thing that Pink created and gave her gem to. 

It was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard. 

Then that means all her self-hatred and grieving was for nothing, because Pink faked her own death, 

And this whole war, it was horrible. Pink started a whole actual war, where thousands of gems were shattered, Jasper had shattered thousands of Gems, all because a stupid war Pink started. 

And now, Jasper looked like a freak, markings from her corruption forever etched into her form, and now that hybrid had started an era of Peace. Now Jasper had no status. And to top it all off, she felt like a fool. This whole time she never would have guessed, never would have connected the dots to solve the scandal. 

She wanted things to go back to the way they were, when things made sense. She wanted Steven dead. She wanted-

"I want that too sometimes…" Spinel spoke up. Jasper looked at her. "You think I don't wish that things could go back to what once was? When life was simple and everything made sense and all I had to do was play games with a spoiled princess?" Spinel’s eyes became more spiraled as she spoke, tightening her torso’s grip as she vented. 

“But now, because of her, I lost my mind. And I’m honestly still so mad. Everyday I feel like I could snap at any moment. Not because I hate anyone, they're all swell. But I can never see things the same way anymore..”

“What do you mean by that?” Jasper asked in confusion.

“I mean, whenever I think I’ve found a friend, I can’t trust them completely. And I should, because I know they aren’t Pink, but they could all end up leaving me. A lot of the time, It’s obvious tha Diamonds only like me because I remind them of Pinky, and I’m sure gems back on Homeworld are only kind to me because of my relationship with tha Diamonds, I’m sure people and gems here on Earth only tolerate my presence because of Steven, and I’m positive the only reason Steven “forgives” me is because he takes pity on me..” 

A few tears managed to escape Spinel’s eyes. 

Jasper wanted to call the display of vulnerability weak but, Spinel still had a very tight grip on her. Jasper admired it honestly. Someone who was so strong they could display weakness right in front of the enemy but still maintain dominance. 

“Jasper, take it from me, you gotta stop what you're doing here..” Spinel said, wiping her tears.

“What!? But you just said you agree with me! You hate the way things are now! Why don’t you join me?”

“I don't hate the way things are now!” Spinel corrected. “Sure, I ain’t exactly happy. I’m living in constant doubt that I’ll never find someone I can trust, but it’s better than being alone. And I would have been alone If I had succeeded in my endeavor. But sometimes...I’m glad Steven was able to defeat me. This is my second chance. My weird, undeserved, difficult second chance.”

Jasper was quiet for a moment. She wanted to tell Spinel how much she didn’t really understand her reasonings, but she found herself having too much respect for the strong gem to really say anything. 

“Think about it, Jasper. You're not gonna get what you want this way. Once you kill Steven, It won’t bring Pink back. Whitey told me so, she already tried.”

“I don’t want Pink Diamond to come back! She was a horrible Diamond! Once I finally began to understand that the hybrid wasn’t her, a part of me was relieved…”

Spinel chuckled. “Yeah, I can agree with ya on that! Good riddance am I right?”

Jasper silently agreed with Spinel in her mind. Spinel seemed to have understood. 

“Alright, so your goal isn’t to bring back Pink. Still, what you are trying to do is wrong and isn’t going to work and it isn’t going to make you feel better. He’s not her, so any vengeance you end up getting, it won’t be enough to make you feel better. It’s only going to make things worse…And what’s your plan here anyway? You honestly hope to stand a chance against tha Diamonds? The strongest of all gems? Our creators?! That’s like a human going up against this guy they call God!”

“What’s a God?”

“It's a lot to explain..” Spinel said, recalling the lengthy explanation Steven told her when she had asked the same question. “Just know that God is to humans what the Diamonds are to us. And if a human can’t beat their God then how can a gem beat their Diamonds?” 

“Once they see! Once the Diamonds see-” 

“No, they won’t see. They love Steven just as much as they loved Pink. If you kill Steven, they’ll react the same way they did when they thought she was shattered!”

“But once I-”

“JUST CAN IT, WON’T YA!!” Spinel yelled. Jasper snapped her mouth shut. Spinel had been speaking menacingly during their fight but this voice...it was authoritative. Jasper couldn’t tell if she was obeying out of respect or because she was scared. Scared? No way, there’s no way she’s scared of a little playmate gem, right? But this is the same gem who defeated her in battle just ten minutes ago, and currently had her trapped in a death grip. 

“Can’t you see?” Spinel said, sounding like she was about to cry again. 

“See...what?” Jasper questioned. 

“You’re being her. You’re doing all the same things she did. And all for the same reasons too..”

Jasper felt like her entire world had been rocked. Spinel was right. Now that she thought about it, looked back on what she was doing and the way she was doing it, she was no better than the Rose Quartz, the Diamond who went around, finding gems who felt the same way and forming an army to start a war of rebellion, all for selfish reasons, all because she didn't like the way Homewrold was running things. Because she wants everything to work in her selfish favor. Regardless of what her leaders already decreed. She was praised for her loyalty but here she was being just like Pink Diamond. Possibly being even worse. 

Unable to stop herself from doing it, Jasper let a few tears fall. She wasn't bawling or anything, she was too strong for that, but she was crying. 

Silently, the playmate gem comforted her. Jasper wondered for a moment if it was simply a part of a Spinel’s programming and she was doing it on instinct rather than showing any genuine kindness. 

But Jasper couldn't bring herself to care. She had already shown weakness by losing this fight, might as well show some more and allow herself to be comforted. It's probably the last good thing she would feel before being shattered. She didn't care what Spinel said, she had done too much to ever be let off the hook, surely somebody was going to shatter her for this. 

"What am I doing..what have I done..why do I want to hurt him so bad, I.." 

"I've asked myself those same questions, Doll.." Spinel said. "You aren't the only one, I may not have had an army behind me, but I did the same thing you did.”

"What am I going to do now!? There is no place for me anywhere, I have no place on Homeworld, I don’t wanna live on this stupid dirt ball with _ him _ , with  _ them... _ At this point….I’d rather be shattered..”

“Now don’t go sayin’ somethin’ like that! I used to want the same thing, and it's horrible to think like that!” 

“But-”

“No buts!” Spinel demanded. “Ya want a place on Homeworld then-then I have the perfect place for ya!” She said, stuttering as she spoke, like she was nervous. 

“Where?”

“With me!” 

Jasper turned her head and looked at Spinel like she was the most insane gem in the galaxy.

“WHAT!?” 

“Oh it's perfect for ya! Ya miss ya status? Well you can be back on top if you’re pals with me! The Diamonds love me! So if I like you, They’ll keep you around for sure!”

“I wasn’t made to be some kind of friendship gem like you! I was made for fighting! I just wanna go back to fighting..”

“You can fight me! Yeah! It's this thing called sparring I learned about, Steven and his buddy Connie do it all tha time! It's just for fun, and practice."

"Why would-" 

"Why would a playmate like me wanna fight?" Spinel said, finishing Jasper's question. "I'll let ya in on another little secret," The pink gem stretched her neck so that her head was right beside Jasper's face. "I actually love fighting!" 

"You do!?" 

"Yeah, I know it's weird and all, but fighting Steven, it felt great to use my limbs like that. I wanted to do it again but I thought all fighting was bad, but that's when Steven taught me about sparring!" 

Jasper contemplated on it. She was a quartz soldier. Fighting was in her programming, she never needed to spar before. Not being needed as a soldier anymore terrified her. But, fighting with Spinel seemed...okay..

“So what do ya say, Jasper?” Spinel asked with a smile on her face.

Jasper thought for a while longer before asking Spinel one last question. “Why me? Of all the gems you could have, of all the gems you already have, why do you want me?” 

Spinel giggled before answering. “Ain’t it obvious? We're the same, you and I. And I’ve simply taken a liking to you.”

Jasper blushed. That’s it!? She just likes her!? Jasper couldn’t understand it. Couldn’t believe it, almost couldn’t accept it. But, Jasper reflected on her emotions for a moment, how she always got upset when a gem wouldn’t want to stay with her...and here a gem was, literally asking for her company...maybe, going with Spinel would be good for her.

“Fine…” Jasper said quietly. 

"Yay!” Spinel cheered. “I still gotta poof ya though, can't exactly give Steven and the others a scare by waltzing in holdin' hands with ya." 

"Do you really have to? What if they-" 

"I already said they ain't gonna shatter ya. And if they try…" Spinel's voice became low and soothing, almost a whisper. "I'll protect you." 

Before Jasper could really respond, she was squeezed tighter than ever and before she knew it, she was inside her gem. Left with nothing to do but think. Think to herself, think about herself, think about Spinel...think about what she was gonna wear when she reformed.

…She has never had someone protect her before. It was nice.

Meanwhile, on the outside of Jasper's gem, Spinel had returned to her default height after the orange gem fell on the grass. She bubbled it in a deep magenta bubble.

She admired the gem through the bubble for a moment. It was a very small gem for such a strong dame. Tiny with it's adorable nose shaped cut. Spinel wondered how such a tiny gem could project such a bold and powerful body of light. 

She wasn't one to talk, her own gem was gigantic yet her default size was very short. But that could be blamed on her own unusual heart-shaped cut.

She had to go back to the battlefield and help the others fight off Jasper's army. But she couldn't go out their holding Jasper's bubbled gem like this. She might accidentally get shattered or her warriors could mistake it as their leader being kidnapped.

If she tapped the bubble, it would go to her room in the palace. No, she wanted to keep Jasper with her. Plus she had to explain things to Steven and everyone else as soon as possible. 

She decided to put the bubble in her gem, it would be safe there. And there was plenty of space, like the endless toy chest she was designed to be…

As she hurried back to the battlefield, she couldn't help but hum a familiar tune.

_ Today _

_ Right here.. _

_ Right now,  _

_ I'll love again!  _

_ I've already found someone~! _


End file.
